I absolutely loved my experience on the two day slow boat into Laos. I met great people, enjoyed beautiful views along the Mekong, and read my book with the background noise of the river. If you are entering Laos from Thailand, this is how you get to the boat!
At the Chiang Rai bus station downtown, right near the night market, take a 6am bus to Chiang Khong. The bus costs 65 baht. Get on the bus and they will collect money later.
Sometimes, this bus will take you directly to the border for 100 baht. If not, a tuk tuk from Chiang Khong should be about 30 baht.
Bring US dollars for the visa on arrival - it is more expensive to use any currency other than the US dollar. The visa fee is $30-$42 depending on your home country.
Remember you also need a photo for the visa - they will accept any size.
After leaving Thailand border control, take a tuk tuk to the slow boat for 30k per person. The slowboat can be purchased on the pier for 210k.
You can also buy both the tuk tuk and the slow boat combined for 260k, which is what I did, but it was probably the wrong call.
Make sure you have for the boat:
• Enough food for the day (They do sell food and beer on the boat, but it is more expensive - except the ramen, which they served hot for 10k!)
• Toilet paper
• A book / music /etc
• The ticket! You need the same ticket for both days, don’t lose it.
The boat is scheduled to leave at 11, but will probably leave closer to 12. Be at the boat before 10:30am for a good seat.
The first day on the boat was 11:40am -
5:20; 5.5 hours long. Shorter than I expected!
When you arrive in Pakbeng, you will be swamped with people selling their hostel rooms when you get off the boat. Rooms are approximately 30k kip per person and all are within walking distance/have hostels that offer transport. Lots of food, drinks, and snacks are available in the city, and there is an ATM.
On day 2 the boat is scheduled to leave at 9am - it left closer to 9:30am but people are on the boat reserving seats by 8:30am. Be ready to board the boat early!
The second day on the boat was 7 hours long, slightly longer than the first day.
When you arrive at the Luang Prabang port, it is located 10km out of the city. For 20k kip a tuk tuk will take you to the center of town.
It’s a beautiful city - enjoy!
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